Day 174 – I Was Born This Way

Art Apple - Day One Hundred Seventy Four

I love Lady Gaga.

Now don’t get excited. You might hear Lady Gaga and think public displays of profanity and nudity and wonder how I could love someone so controversial. What I love is someone who is fearless in their insistence of being themselves. She is a true artist because she holds onto her vision and art at all costs.

I’m not asking you to love her too – that’s not my style. Love her if you see what I see. If you see something else – then make sure you’ve actually looked at the whole picture of Lady Gaga before jumping to the conclusion that she is simply a “freak.” I love people who push limits and lead.

Her newest song “I was born this way” strikes me for many reasons. She wrote it about her experiences in being bullied as a child and her difficulties in feeling different. In an interview on YouTube about the song, she talks about how she changed how she acted so that she might fit in better. I felt different as a kid and I feel different today but I was born exactly this way. Be who you are – even if it means bringing on the criticism of those who don’t understand.

Until tomorrow.

Jenna

Day 174 was created in mixed media – throwin’ the paint out there … I can’t wait to show you all my true way to paint – I’m much more comfortable making art that is 5 feet square instead of 5″ square!

11 Replies to “Day 174 – I Was Born This Way”

  1. I agree…”Be who you are”…that is why I love Eminem’s lyrics..I think he speaks from the heart that he knows and I respect that. I’m not a big fan of Lady Gaga but understand where she is coming from and understand your voice when you speak about her…

  2. Hello Jenna, I’m Jane Abbott. You probably know me as Becca Abbott’s daughter. Let me just tell you that I’m truly touched by your words on Lady Gaga. I’ve never thought of celebrities like that and I’ve now been awakened to the fact that one should, if in doubt or by annoyance, look at why people do acts that another person would call “crazy” at the time. It’s interesting how a simple paragraph can boost one’s empathy to a whole new level. Thanks!

    1. Hi Jane,
      Thank you so much for your wonderful comment on my blog. You and your Mom are so amazing! I so look forward to seeing your apples and getting to know you both more!
      Jenna

  3. I agree to a point. I like to see people “push” the envelope and make us see things in a new light. But, I think you dismiss the profanity and nudity as something harmless or at worst neutral. The more we see of this type of behavior, the more we encourage the next “star” to push even more and we become blind to the grossest obscenities. This is true for many things; violence, sex, etc. I am no prude, but the older I get the more I feel we have to be careful who we elevate to “star” status. I am sure you could find a artist that exhibits the traits that you admire without the baggage of shock performances.
    I enjoy your apples, your support for people w/ AS and your blog. I am sorry that my first comment is not one of agreement. I assume you want our true opinions.

    1. Hi David!
      I’m so glad you commented. I agree with much of what you say. I think that so much recent behavior of stars goes too far – and Lady Gaga is a prime example. I could have written all of the things she’s done that I do not agree with. What I wonder about is whether or not people think we can love a part of what someone stands for even if we disagree with their methods. Another example might be Charlie Sheen – what is going on with him – oh my goodness. I love the part of the man who is an amazing actor, I love the tenderness he displays with his children but I really do not like his “winning!” and “I’ve got tiger blood” statements. Or, perhaps a political example (oh geez – I told myself I wouldn’t comment on politics ever) but can we love George W. Bush for the amazing effort he undertook to fight HIV/Aids in Africa and not agree with his politics – or vice versa? And why not? More and more, I feel we are becoming black and white in our thinking. Where did all the gray areas go? My big point of this post was “Be who you are – even if it means bringing on the criticism of those who don’t understand.” Elvis was the shock performer of his time πŸ™‚ At some point you are right we become numb to the grossest obscenities.

      I love opinions – and I loved that yours was well thought out and provocative yet not vitriolic. We need more of this type of discourse in America! And I hope people can disagree with some of what I say but love me for most of what I do! I hope to hear from you again!
      Jenna

  4. Jenna I LOVE what you said about the gray areas. It’s a great point and I couldn’t agree more. The world should not be seen in black and white, but it does take a kind of openness (and perhaps humility) to appreciate the shades of gray and notice the lit areas in the darkness.

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